August 30, 2011

Is it spring yet? Almost! I'm quite thankful that here in Australia they like to count three months per season regardless of the weather. For me it's felt like spring for a good couple of weeks already - the sun is out, it's much greener everywhere and the flowers are starting to bloom. This is the best time of the year!

To celebrate the beautiful day I took my lunch outside on the balcony and sat there munching on this tasty new favourite of mine whilst admiring my aspiring veggie garden. You've got to try this, and ponzu dressing is a must as it gives just the right kind of a tang to the sweet beets. I savoured this with some left-over crisp bread I made the other day, but you could use any bread you have, or leave it out completely.

Ponzu dressed beets with quinoa

(serves 2-4)

1 cup quinoa, cooked until tender

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

5cm piece of leek, thinly sliced

bunch of beets (4 small ones), cooked until tender

1 tablespoon ponzu dressing*

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

drizzling of lemon juicesmall handful of red crimson raisins

* I used ponzu shoyu, which combines yuzu and soy sauce.

1. Combine the quinoa, fennel and leek in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, dress the cooked and sliced beets with extra-virgin olive oil and ponzu. Add the mixture in to the quinoa and add in the red raisins. Drizzle the salad with lemon juice and mix everything together. Serve room temperature or warm.

August 28, 2011

Näkkileipä, the Nordic crisp bread, has always been one of my favourites. We used to always have it at school with school meals, at home with soups or even bits of it broken into semolina porridge. Most of the time you'd have this bread with butter and cheese, or with herring or gravlax. It is a pantry staple, without a doubt, and every household across the Nordic countries would most likely have some at all times.

So far I've been buying all my näkkileipä (knäckebröd in Swedish) here in Sydney. It's quite readily available and it's all authentic, mostly imported from Finland or Sweden. Even in Finland people would buy this crisp bread instead of making it themselves, but as this recipe shows it is incredibly easy and fairly quick to make at home too.

The original crisp bread would be made out of rye and wheat flour, but nowadays there are several flavours available - even quinoa! You could easily add sesame seeds to this recipe and use different flour instead of rye and spelt. I've served my näkkileipä with some cottage cheese that I seasoned with dried herbs and lemon. My partner (who is half-Japanese, half-German Australian), loves this bread too and "näkkileipä" was one of the first Finnish words I taught him.

Näkkileipä - Knäckebröd

(makes 6)

250ml warm water

5g dry active yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

150g rye flour

150g whole spelt flour + extra for rolling

1. Mix both of the flours in a bowl and set aside.

2. Pour the water in a separate bowl, mix a tablespoon of the flour with the yeast and stir it into the warm water. Stir in the salt and cumin seeds and add the rest of the flour in slowly, mixing as you go and kneading with your hands to make a smooth dough.

3. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave the dough to rise for half an hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a log. Cut the log into 6 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll the pieces into thin disks. Note here that you should bake these breads one by one and therefore only roll the pieces as you go and keep the dough pieces covered so they don't dry out. Prick each disk with a fork before placing on the baking tray and baking in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

August 26, 2011

When I was a young girl growing up in a small town in northern Finland, there used to be markets held twice a year - in spring and autumn. It used to be the biggest and the most anticipated event, and we'd rush to the markets after school to browse the stalls full of fascinating bric-a-brac, lollies and other not so fascinating things like rugs and brooms (yes, everything was available at the markets).

I would admire the candy stall with a sparkle in my eyes and imagine what goodies I would choose if I'd ever be allowed to buy a whole bag full of treats. My parents were quite strict about eating candy, so instead of getting a full bag full of sweets, I'd be allowed to buy a long string of liquorice instead. Another treat readily available at the markets were bagels - water bagels (plain), vanilla bagels, cinnamon bagels. Mum or dad would always bring home a bag of these, but I didn't find them very exciting back then.

I must admit I had never made Finnish-style bagels prior to this. I've of course changed the original recipe a bit by using whole spelt flour instead of plain white, raw caster sugar instead of normal white one, and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I also made a cheats queen jam that is literally no effort at all, but makes such a nice addition to these bagels! They may not be the prettiest bagels in the world, but they certainly brought back a lot of memories and I wholeheartedly enjoyed them.

Finnish Bagels

(makes 12)

(recipe adapted from Anja Hill)

175 ml warm water

11g dry yeast or 25g fresh yeast

4 tablespoons raw caster sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large free-range eggs, plus a beaten egg to glaze

1 teaspoon salt

450g whole spelt flour

1. Put the water, yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Mix the ingredients together and leave for about 10 minutes or until bubbly.

2. Add a further tablespoon of the sugar, along with the oil and two eggs in the mixture. Stir until smooth, then add the salt and half the flour. Stir into a smooth paste.

3. Knead in the rest of the flour, then knead for 10 minutes (incorporating more flour or warm water) until the dough is smooth and soft. Leave, covered, for at least an hour or until doubled in size.

4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, then roll the pieces into balls. Roll each ball into a long cigar, then loop into rings. Press the ends together. Place the rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rise for a further 15-25 minutes or until soft to touch.

5. Preheat oven to 200C. Bring a large pan of water to boil and add in the rest of the sugar.

6. Drop 3 bagels at a time into the boiling water, boil for one minute, then remove using a slotted spoon. Transfer the boiled rings to a baking tray and brush with a beaten egg. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.Serve the bagels warm with Queen jam.

Quick and Easy Queen Jam

250g mixed frozen berries

1-2 tablespoon rapadura sugar

1 tablespoon potato starch

cold water

1. Put the berries and the sugar in a bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir, then return to the microwave for a further 3-5 minutes.

2. Whisk the potato starch into some cold water to form a smooth, runny paste. Whilst still piping hot, pour the paste slowly into the berry mixture, whisking continuously to form a thick 'jam'. Serve warm.

August 24, 2011

Don't let the look and feel of this post fool you - spring is definitely in the air here in Sydney and the Australian natives are in full bloom. I am loving the warmer and slightly longer days and cannot wait for the fresh spring produce!

But in the spirit of the last couple of weeks of winter, this Japanese inspired sweet potato dish is a perfect side dish or a light meal. I've gone to town with bold flavours, using one of my favourite ingredients - umeboshi to dress the sesame and ichimi roasted sweet potato. If you're a new-comer to Japanese flavours, perhaps go a little lighter on the umeboshi, as it can be quite sour (which I love).

Sesame and ichimi roasted sweet potato...

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

a good pinch of ichimi (or to taste)

...with umeboshi dressing

5-7 umeboshi, pitted

1 tablespoon white (shiro) miso

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon rapadura sugar

juice of 1 orange

a few drops of sesame oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or brown rice vinegar

sesame seeds, to serve (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Toss the sweet potato in olive oil and place the chunks on the baking tray. Season with sesame seeds and ichimi and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until just tender (try not to over-cook them).

3. In the meanwhile, place all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and purée into a smooth dressing.

4. Toss the roasted sweet potato in the dressing, sprinkle with some extra sesame seeds and serve warm.

August 22, 2011

It's been nearly two years since I started my blog and I thought it would be appropriate to bake a little treat to mark the occasion. Admittedly, I've spent more time in the kitchen during the past two years than probably ever before, and although it's been a bit of a game of hits and misses, I've enjoyed the most of it.

When I first started this blog, back in August 2009, I was writing in Finnish and I never thought I'd have any other readers than perhaps my own parents. As I started to mingle more with the other Sydney food bloggers, I realised that it would probably make more sense if I wrote in English, and I then changed the name of the blog to 'Scandi Foodie' (denoting my Finnish-Swedish heritage and in purpose of promoting Scandinavian food and culture).

I've felt proud to give a glimpse to the Scandinavian culture through my recipes and posts, and I hope I've been able to inspire and educate people on the way. These spiced sweet potato brownies are to all of you who've been so kind and supportive - I thank you so much!

**ground bitter orange (pomeranssi, Citrus aurantium) is a common spice used in Scandinavian cooking. If you can't find this, replace with ground orange or mandarin peel, or try ground ginger for a slightly sharper taste.

1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a square 18cm baking dish.

2. Place the coconut oil and roughly chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave until just melted (do not let it boil!), but smooth. Alternatively, melt them in a saucepan on the stove. Set aside.

3. Beat the sweet potato and sugar in a separate bowl. Add the coconut and chocolate mixture, eggs and vanilla and beat until thick.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and spices. Add this mixture into the wet ingredients, then fold everything together until smooth. Lastly fold in the macadamias.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until firm to touch. Leave to cool on wire rack before cutting into squares.

August 20, 2011

Guess what? Yes! It's finally time for my kitchen garden update! As you may remember, my balcony got a make-over a few months ago (read more about it here). I've been anticipating the weather to warm up and the sun to reach my little balcony again so that I can plant a few seedlings and start redoing my garden that was so rudely battered by the cold winter rain and wind. I bought a few seedlings to get started - parsley, mint, rosemary, oregano and some lettuce. I'm also planning to sow seeds for some veggies in a couple of weeks' time.

Oregano and mint. The mint has braved winter and done really well!

I couldn't wait to drag my chair on the balcony, grab a book and just sit there enjoying my little green batch. The weather turned out perfect today, so I went to the markets this morning and stocked up olives and olive oil and bought some bits and pieces for my ever-growing junk collection. I love buying old fabrics, ribbons and cotton thread and just admire their bright colours.

Anyway, I thought I'd share these photos with you today. There will be many more kitchen garden photos to follow, I'm sure! Until then, I hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Rosemary is my favourite so I keep it in the kitchen too at all times.

Spring flowers to brighten up my balcony

And some bits and pieces I've collected from junk shops and markets... I'm dying to start sewing!

August 18, 2011

It's been a busy week with early starts and big photo shoots and I've been carrying lots of props back and forth - packing, unpacking and packing again. At the end of the day I've felt happy and content, but in desperate need of a hot shower, a big cup of tea and something sweet. My usual pick for a sweet treat would be a piece of really dark chocolate, but these quick and easy oven baked grapefruit are definitely a good alternative, too. If you have the time in the morning, you could even have them as breakfast with some thick yoghurt. Or, try with some good vanilla bean ice cream as an indulgent dessert.

I love the coconutty crumble topping - rolled oats, organic coconut sugar and the most amazing coconut oil I bought from the Organic expo just a couple of weeks a go. I'm ready to slip on my comfy clothes, grab one of these grapefruit and just munch away!

Baked grapefruit with coconutty crumble

(serves 2)

1 grapefruit, cut in half

2 tablespoons organic unstabilised oats

1 tablespoon organic coconut sugar

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil (not liquid)

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the oats, sugar and coconut oil. Rub the mixture with your fingers until crumbly.

3. Place the grapefruit halves into an oven-proof dish, spread the coconutty crumble on top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

August 16, 2011

There is nothing quite like a quick dessert or an afternoon treat any day of the week and today I was craving for a treat I remember from my childhood - köyhät ritarit, or Poor Knights, as it would translate in English. As so many sweet treats, this one too I think originally came to Finland from Sweden, and was often made using either day-old white bread or sweet cinnamon roll, pulla (or cut-up braided pulla).

Of course I had to modernise the traditional recipe a bit - I used my healthier spelt pulla instead of the traditional all-white, I replaced whipped cream with yoghurt and used berries instead of jam. The traditional version of this would be something similar to that of French toast - white bread dipped in milk and egg mixture, fried in butter and topped with berry jam and whipped cream - you get the idea. I can tell you, however, that I wholeheartedly enjoyed this lighter version of my childhood treat, and it was just as nice as I remembered! This really is the simplest dessert, but what a special treat to have every now and then!

**strain the yoghurt for at least 30 minutes before using, alternatively you could use quark or thick pot-set yoghurt.

1. Whisk the egg, milk and salt together in a bowl. then dip each pulla piece in the mixture. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan and fry the halves on each side until golden. Set aside.

2. Mix the yoghurt with the berries and sweeten (to taste) with raw honey. Spoon a dollop of the berry yoghurt on top of the warm pulla and serve immediately.

August 14, 2011

Some of you may know that we are looking for a new home. I think I've already expressed my frustration a few times on Twitterand my apologies for all the ranting I sometimes do on the subject. It is never an easy task to find a new place and in a city like Sydney, it's a huge investment you need to consider carefully. We have inspected so many places in recent months I have lost count of them all and we don't seem to be any closer to finding anything soon. The whole process is frustrating to say the least!

Experimenting with new colour schemes for my desk...

So after our Saturday morning home hunting (which again was, you guess it, not successful), I sank my frustration into some other things - ironing, re-organising my little desk (once again), and making these easy pickled carrots. There is some strange consolation I find in the everyday tinkering and what could possible be more homely than pickling? Perhaps we'll find that new home one day, after all.

Pickled carrot and ginger

(Recipe adapted from Everyday Harumi)

450g carrot

50g fresh ginger

200ml water

150ml brown rice vinegar

3 tablespoons raw caster sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

1. In a small saucepan, bring the water to boil. Turn off the heat, then add in brown rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set aside to cool.

2. Cut the carrots and the ginger into small matchsticks. Put them into small (clean) jars or one bigger one and pour the pickling vinegar on top. These can be kept refrigerated for up to one week.

August 12, 2011

I am noticing an increasing amount of light flooding through my windows. This can mean only one thing - it's soon time to plant new seedlings in my kitchen garden! Poor thing has struggled and suffered through the winter, but in a couple of week's time I feel safe to start planting and growing again.

In the mean while, I am making the most of what is left of winter's bounty. Especially oranges that have been in abundance this year, as apparently it has been a good season for the Aussie orange growers. If you have spare fruit, and about 10 minutes spare time, you can make a quick and light dessert with those oranges. These sweet soups are probably one of the most common desserts in Finland - or at least they used to be when I was a kid. You can make them with almost whatever fruit you have in season, like berries or rhubarb, and they are an ever-so-light finish to any meal. You could of course enjoy them with your morning porridge, or have as a light meal too.

Right now I can't think of anything better than a big bowl of orange goodness.

Orange Soup

(serves 2-3)

500 ml cold water

3 tablespoons potato starch

400 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 raw honey

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Whisk the water and the potato starch in a saucepan. Bring to boil, whisking continuously (you don't want any lumps!)

2. Once thickened, turn off the heat and whisk in the orange juice, honey and lemon. Serve immediately.

August 10, 2011

I've always been big on home-made gifts. There have been quite a few of the not so great-looking ones, like the macaroni tree I spray painted with gold colour and gave to my granny as a Christmas present (she still has it) or the wooden box I planned to make from scratch, and fill with liquorice for my dad as a Father's Day gift. I say 'planned', because dad actually ended up finishing the box himself and all I did was buy the liquorice to fill it with. The box actually ended up looking great, but I can't say I had much input on it (other than perhaps the brainstorming bit).

I've never been much of a drawer or painter either, but that hasn't stopped me from making numerous birthday, Mother's/Father's Day and Christmas cards. One of them included a round card with a cotton moustache for dad, which obviously showcased my incredible creativity at such young age ;-)

Some people, as they grow older, realise and accept that perhaps they aren't the most talented when it comes to artistic things. They give up on trying to get better at whatever it is that they've tried to master during their earlier years, and claim that 'they just can't [fill with whatever it is that you think you can't do].' I guess this was in a way the case for me too, but it never stopped me from trying to get better at things I wasn't 'talented' at. Therefore I still keep drawing, crafting and even singing...

These carrot and macadamia muffins were a home-warming gift for our friends, and I crafted a little brown bag to put them in. Fortunately I had a left-over muffin that just wouldn't fit into the bag, so I could try one myself! ;-) They are just sweet enough, wholesome and tasty - not to mention healthy!

August 08, 2011

I honestly don't know where mine went, but here we are at the start of a new week again. As Mondays are always on the busy side, this quick bread is an ideal way to enjoy freshly baked bread when you don't have time to knead, wait for the dough to rise, and mess around with yeast. I've used a combination of rye and spelt flour, and used egg whites to lighten up the dough. The outcome is a really light rye bread that is still filling and wholesome.

Buckthorn berry powder is a fabulous ingredient to use in both sweet and savoury baking, as well as sprinkled in your cereal, porridge or yoghurt. It's packed with vitamins, fibre and good oils. I love the sharp and fresh taste and it goes so well in this light rye bread as well.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until just frothy. Add the milk and the olive oil and gently stir them into the egg whites.

4. Fold the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients. Pour the dough into the prepared loaf and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

August 07, 2011

I've taken a little break from the kitchen to take some photos of the pretty flowers I got for the weekend. I love having fresh flowers at home, especially on the weekend and these have a beautiful scent that is floating on to all corners of our home. The lush and sweet cherries were a perfect treat for the day too.

I also set up this temporary desk near the window. I have a bad habit of spreading my belongings all over our dining table so in attempt to keep it clear I set up this little desk just for myself. We live in a small unit so space is scarce - I used the deck of an old wooden trunk as a desk top and I'm temporarily resting it (steadily) on a small cabinet. I'm so excited to have my bits and pieces neatly organised in the cabinet and on the wire tray next to the desk. I have my little mood board set up too and I'm looking forward to filling the frame with some inspirational colours and patterns.

August 05, 2011

It's Friday! And what a gorgeously warm and beautiful week it has been here in Sydney - up to 25 degrees! While there is cooler, or should I say, more normal winter weather ahead again next week, I decided to make most of these few sunny and warm days. Morning run to the beach, a few loads of washing done and drying out in the sun, a visit to the Organic Expo here in Sydney, a browse through the shops and then this pancake - just because it felt just right for the afternoon tea.

This is a typical oven baked pancake in Finland. It can either be very flat with a few "hills" that rise up in the oven or you can make a double batch and have it thicker. I love the thin version where the base is nice and crisp, but the top is soft. Served with fresh strawberries mixed with natural yoghurt and honey, this certainly was a perfect treat for a lovely day.

Oven baked pancake

(recipe adapted from Kotiruoka)

2 large free-range eggs

500ml milk (low-fat is fine)

120g spelt flour (organic, biodynamic)

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

To serve

natural yoghurt

fresh strawberries

honey

1. Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add half of the milk, flour, salt and oil and whisk until smooth. Stir in rest of the milk. Leave the batter to rest for half an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 225C and line a baking tray (30cm x 35cm) with parchment paper.

3. After resting, pour the batter on to the tray and bake in the middle of the oven for about half an hour.

4. Cut the pancake into pieces and serve with yoghurt, fresh strawberries and honey.

August 03, 2011

When it comes to quick desserts I don't know anything that beats lumi - the snow. Lemon snow, lingonberry snow, apple snow, you name it. Whatever the flavour, this is quick, simple and so tasty and makes an ideal dessert for when you really just want something sweet to end a meal.

Now, I am not sure about the origins of this treat, but were you to browse any old Finnish recipe books, you'd definitely find it. Undoubtedly it has a certain retro feel to it, but in my opinion it just adds to the charm. I've tweaked the traditional recipe a bit and used honey instead of sugar and added a bit of vanilla and cinnamon for the taste. If you'd like to use whole apples, boil them until soft (with spices if you like), mash/grate into a smooth sauce, then use as below.

Omenalumi - Apple Snow

(serves 2)

2 large free-range egg whites

150ml organic, unsweetened apple sauce

1 tablespoon raw honey (liquid)

a drop or two of natural vanilla extract or paste

ground cinnamon, to serve

1. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until hard peaks form.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the apple sauce, honey and vanilla.

3. Carefully fold the apple mixture into the egg whites. Spoon the light cloud of apply goodness into serving bowls, then dust with ground cinnamon and serve immediately.

August 02, 2011

What is inspiring you this week? There is no doubt the sun and bright colours are on top of my list, as it is supposed to be a warm week here in Sydney! I spent most of my day cleaning, re-organising and de-cluttering our home and set up this little craft station for all the bits and pieces. I have always enjoyed doing all sorts of crafts and I am constantly painting, building, sewing, or doing something either for work or for home.

I was so entwined in all these homely things that by the time it had reached lunch time I was really hungry and craving for something quick, but light. A quick glance at my fridge contents got me thinking of a salad and a tub of my favourite organic yoghurt was an obvious choice for a dressing. This fennelslaw ended up being so tasty I almost forgot to take a photo of it, so a couple of happy snaps is all I can share with you today.

* if you can't find lemon myrtle, try ground sumac for a totally different taste or use lemon zest instead.

1. Put the fennel, zucchini and apple slices into a large bowl. Add half the lemon juice and toss to coat.

2. Mix the yoghurt, rest of the lemon juice, salt and lemon myrtle in a separate bowl. Pour the dressing over the sliced vegetables and mix everything together. Leave to rest for half an hour in the fridge for the flavours to develop, if you have the patience and the time.